NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Columbus Junction, IA
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated
1 tropical system has passed within 75 miles of Columbus Junction, Iowa since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1900. Since 1950, 109 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 109
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
2 deaths in all
What the records show for Columbus Junction
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Columbus Junction; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 48 mph winds when its centre passed 34 miles away. Columbus Junction is tied for the most tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles among the 241 Iowa cities on this site. The highest rating among the 109 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 4 times; the most recent, on June 1, 2007, came within 9 miles. The deadliest, an EF1 on June 24, 2013, killed 1 person. Of the 109, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 50 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 33. The most recent tornado was on June 3, 2025. Of the 241 Iowa cities, 75% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Columbus Junction. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 57 times since 1966, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 241 Iowa cities, 83% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Columbus Junction.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Columbus Junction
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Columbus Junction: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Columbus Junction
By decade
- 2020s10
- 2010s21
- 2000s19(1 EF3+)
- 1990s13(1 EF3+)
- 1980s17
- 1970s14
- 1960s11(1 EF3+)
- 1950s4(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 1, 2007 | EF3 | 9 mi | 15.75 mi | 0 / 7 |
| May 15, 1998 | F3 | 15 mi | 47 mi | 0 / 47 |
| Apr 23, 1965 | F3 | 18 mi | 47.4 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 9, 1959 | F3 | 18 mi | 17.8 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 16, 2024 | EF2 | 17 mi | 41.66 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF2 | 21 mi | 0.95 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF2 | 21 mi | 14.69 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 15, 2019 | EF2 | 22 mi | 1.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 15, 2019 | EF2 | 21 mi | 1.82 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 6, 2017 | EF2 | 18 mi | 1.78 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Mar 6, 2017 | EF2 | 6 mi | 0.31 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 24, 2015 | EF2 | 20 mi | 6.75 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 109, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Columbus Junction
The Storm Prediction Center has 57 hail reports within 10 miles of Columbus Junction since 1966, made on 38 separate days. Of these, 40 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2 inches (hen egg size), was reported on 2 days, most recently April 7, 2020. The most recent report is from October 4, 2024. April has the most reports, 20.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Columbus Junction
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Columbus Junction, IA, in Columbus Junction at 590 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 30°F and 11°F. May is the wettest at 5.4 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.2 inches; the year adds up to 38.8 inches over 65 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 17 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 134 nights a year. Snowfall averages 31.3 inches a year, most of it in January. That 38.8 inches is more than at 105 of the 124 Iowa stations used on this site (85%). Wapello, 12 miles southeast, has its own station (New Boston Dam 17, IL): 36.3 inches a year, 2.5 less than here, and a July average high of 86°F against 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30 | 11 | 1.2 | 4 | 9.5 |
| Feb | 34 | 14 | 1.9 | 4 | 7.1 |
| Mar | 48 | 26 | 2.3 | 5 | 5.3 |
| Apr | 62 | 38 | 3.9 | 7 | 1.6 |
| May | 72 | 50 | 5.4 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 80 | 59 | 4.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 84 | 63 | 4.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 82 | 61 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 76 | 52 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 63 | 40 | 3.0 | 5 | 0.2 |
| Nov | 48 | 27 | 2.2 | 5 | 1.3 |
| Dec | 35 | 17 | 1.9 | 3 | 6.3 |
| Year | 60 | 38 | 38.8 | 65 | 31.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Columbus Junction, IA (590 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Normals describe the station; the farther a place is from it, and the bigger the difference in height, the more its weather can differ.
Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Columbus Junction
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 84 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Columbus Junction: 46 thunderstorm wind reports, 22 flash floods and 16 floods. They killed 0 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $7.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 98 mph, on May 9, 1996. June has had the most flash floods, 11 of 22. Of the 240 Iowa cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 176 have had fewer than Columbus Junction.
February 11, 1999: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Columbus Junction — 2 injured, $20,000 damage.
July 29, 2016: flash flood 10 miles from the centre of Columbus Junction — $2.5 million damage.
July 13, 2016: thunderstorm wind 1 mile from the centre of Columbus Junction — $2.0 million damage.
NWS: “A trained spotter reported several limbs and trees were down in town. A few of the trees fell on homes.”
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, events whose starting point is on record, 1996 to June 30, 2026. Damage is the NWS estimate in the dollars of the year, not insured losses, and NWS notes that some reports are unverified.
Flood insurance claims, disaster declarations and FEMA risk ratings
Flood insurance policyholders in Columbus Junction's ZIP code 52738 have filed 18 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1982, and were paid $405,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 44% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 91 Iowa cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 20 have fewer than Columbus Junction.
Louisa County, which includes Columbus Junction, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 18 of them major disasters (by incident: 11 floods, 6 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 23, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Louisa County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes and inland flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $8.4 million a year, the 87th highest of 99 Iowa counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.2 million (38%), is from inland flooding.
Claims: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims – v3, summed over ZIP codes; payments in the dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation. Declarations: Disaster Declarations Summaries – v2, by county. Retrieved October 25, 2026. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
Risk ratings: FEMA, National Risk Index county table, December 2025 (v1.20), retrieved October 26, 2026; ratings compare counties nationwide, are meant for planning and are no substitute for a local risk assessment. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near Columbus Junction
- Wapello, IA12 mi
- Lone Tree, IA15 mi
- Washington, IA17 mi
- Riverside, IA18 mi
- Muscatine, IA21 mi
- Mediapolis, IA21 mi
- West Liberty, IA22 mi
- Mt Pleasant, IA23 mi
- New London, IA24 mi
- Kalona, IA24 mi
- Iowa City, IA28 mi
- West Branch, IA29 mi
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